Catch-Up Sleep Doesn’t Really Work

Regular good sleep habits are essential to good health.

Pardon us for throwing a wrench into one of the joys of the weekend (particularly on a Friday), but rolling over and sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday mornings isn’t a fix for inadequate sleep mid-week, according to a new study.

In fact, a long weekend won’t do the trick either. After getting six hours of sleep for six consecutive nights, then sleeping for 10 hours three nights in a row, subjects’ problem-solving skills, reaction times and motor skills did not return to normal.

“The usual practice of extending sleep during the weekend is not adequate in reversing the cumulative effects on cognitive function resulting from mild sleep deprivation,” said Alexandros Vgontzas, M.D., study co-author and director of the Sleep Research and Treatment Center at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

This means that if you’re out running and a squirrel crosses your path or a car starts to turn, your reaction time would be slower, according to Vgontzas.

The extra sleep, however, did offer some benefits. Subjects reported feeling more rested, and their hormone levels returned to normal, or what they were after getting eight hours of sleep four nights in a row.

This study adds to the mountain of evidence on the importance of good sleep on a regular basis. Recent research has found that too little sleep can make us eat more, increase cravings for sugary foods, and lead to weight gain. It can even alter how we lose weight; a sleep-deprived body loses less fat than a well-rested one. And, of course, sleep is an essential, but often under-appreciated, component to good training.